Why Creativity Is Essential But Not Enough To Propel You To Success: Sneaker Brand Story of Presidentials

Looking to start your own footwear or sneaker brand? You’ve come to the right place!

“You have to think about how to determine the prices of your products, registering your brand or selecting the right retailers.”

Before you start your own brand, be it a clothing brand, jewelry company or a footwear company, you should know that being creative can only go so far. There are so much more to consider, and Sam, together with Fabian, the founders of Presidentials, know all about these! Read on to know more about their story!

How or what should we call you, and what is the name of your brand? What is the meaning behind the name of the brand? And how did you know that you were sure about the name?

Hello, My name is Sam. Together with my brother, Fabian, we started the luxury sneaker brand: Presidentials.

A president is well-known and has a strong character; somebody who stands out. As a brand, we are looking for this status. Our designs have strong character, and with these shoes, you will stand out. This lead to us naming our brand Presidentials.

When did you launch? When was the moment that you knew that you’re going to start your own brand? What was that “thing” that triggered you to start it? Did you see something online or did you see a gap in the market and thought to yourself that you are the one to fill that gap?

We started about a year before our launch date, November of 2014. We have always been interested in fashion, and wanted to start our own line; with our designs and our perspective of fashion. We couldn’t find in the market what we are creating now, and that’s why we started Presidentials. Luckily, our designs are liked by many, which helps our brand to grow steadily.

How would you describe your brand? What category would it be in?

We describe our brand as high-end street fashion.

What was your very first design? What was the inspiration behind it? In fact, what is your inspiration for the whole brand?

The design has a strong look to it with the ridges but, overall, it has an elegant aesthetic. The color red is very striking, which makes it a great fit for almost every outfit. The shoes are all hand made in Portugal with carefully selected leathers.

Do you remember your first sale? When was the first time that you sold one of your products? Was it your very first design? How many days, weeks or months after officially opening your online store to the public? Was it sold to a friend or a person you didn’t know? How did you feel about this first sale?

We started without an online store, physical store or any point of sales. In the beginning, we sold our shoes to our friends. We found out that the only way for us to grow quickly was to have our own online store, and that’s when we decided to make one.

Was there a collection that you didn’t think would pop as much as it did? Why did you think that it wouldn’t create that much impact? And after the response from your customers, did you get to a conclusion as to why it did sell more than what you thought?

If we don’t think the shoe will be loved by our supporters, we won’t even launch this model. These shoes are our passion, and we only try to release shoes that we know would stand out and are special. Our designs are built for quality and uniqueness.

How did you get the brand out there? There are a lot of brands that come out almost every single day. What did you do to get recognized and show that your brand is different? Did you use social medias to get in touch with your customers? Was there a specific medium (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.) that you believe that got you to connect with them more? And, why is that?

Social media is the future. We are focusing a lot on social media. We share our brand with bloggers/influencers, and then to their audience. And, of course, with famous people, like football players and people from the music scene.

Are you full-time on your brand? When did you know that you got something going on? What I mean is that from that point on, you’re going to start focusing more of your time to the brand? Or was it right from the very beginning?

From the beginning, we’ve been giving our full 100%.

Before releasing your very first collection or before launching your brand, what were you doing? What was your occupation? Were you in a similar industry?

Both of us were not in a similar industry, actually, both of us came from a completely different industry. I came from the aviation industry and my brother plays professional football.

For any business, they say that the first year is the hardest. Did you go through anything that got you demotivated? Was there ever a time that you thought that it wouldn’t work? Did anything happen that got you to this state? Then, how did you overcome this?

Know that every single day you learn. You have to think about how to determine the prices of your products, registering your brand or selecting the right retailers. Like in everyday life, you have ups and downs. After all the challenges, we are more than satisfied with where our brand is at now.

What is the biggest achievement that you or the brand had so far? Was there a specific event that was so significant that it felt very fulfilling for you and the brand?

We are proud of the fact that we sold so many shoes to our customers, and that the feedback has been great!

So, what’s next for the brand? Do you have some ideas already for the next collection? When will it be out?

We are constantly designing for upcoming collection; this is a non stop process. Our next collection will launch this summer.

Do you have any advice or tips for aspiring brand owners? Do you have anything to say that could help them whenever they’re about to get to the point of giving up?

If you love what you do and you are certain of your brand, then there is no giving up!